Superfood Strawberry Vanilla Chia Jam

Introduction: Superfood Strawberry Vanilla Chia Jam

Jam. That amazing fruity burst of sweetness. Pity the sugar level is so high that it could give you diabetes just by looking at it!

So we wonder if we could make our own...and decide it's just too time-consuming. But what if...it only took twenty minutes to make? And it was low in sugar, had loads of magnesium, Omega 3's, protein, fiber and calcium? Heck, and it tasted fantastic! Are you reconsidering now? I hope so - because I'm going to show you how to do it!

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For this instructable, I'm doing strawberry jam.

You will need:

3.5 cups fresh or frozen/thawed berries

3-4 tbsp maple syrup, or preferred sweetener

3 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract

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The equipment you will need:

A small saucepan

A paring knife

A stirring spoon

Measuring cups and spoons

A blender of some sort (I used a food processor)

Step 1: Preparing Your Berries

First, prepare your ingredients. Wash and hull the strawberries.

Next, blend the berries until it's as smooth or as chunky as you like your jam. I find the food processor works well but use what you have. The idea is to break the berries down. Strawberries need to be broken down a bit more than other berries.

Step 2: the Cooking Process

Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the maple syrup and chia seeds. Stir well to combine. Try to stir as soon as possible because the chia seeds will start absorbing liquid straight away and if left, might start clumping together.

Simmer on low heat, stirring often, for about 4-5 minutes. It will thicken in this time but will still be slightly runny - this is normal and it will continue to thicken afterwards. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Step 3: The Finished Product!

Your jam is done! You can put it in sterilized jars or an airtight container and store this in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Not that it ever lasts that long around here...

Use the jam as you would normally, on sandwiches, in cookies, cakes, pancakes or swirled through vanilla ice-cream which is delicious. Of course, I would only know that from experience... Enjoy!

I'm stoked that you made it! And thankyou for your feedback! Yes, maybe I should mention that it fills the house with amazing smells :-). Raspberries are naturally a little tart so maybe if you were to make a (only) raspberry jam, maybe try adding a little more sweetener to counteract that. Either way, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Do you have any idea how long it would last canned? I'm intending a pressure canner as opposed to the hot water bath method. I'm worried about being sure its really sealed, but I guess I could always can it and see. No harm opening it right away to make sure it sealed. Probably wouldn't hurt it to be canned, right? Very detailed instructions. Great job, especially for your first. Hope to see more. :)

I don't see why it couldn't be canned that way. I've not tried that method myself, but like you said, it wouldn't hurt try. I'd give it a go. I poured the hot mixture into the jar that you see and placed the lid on it - once it had cooled in the fridge and contracted, it was really well sealed. Because it never lasts longer than 2 weeks around here, I've never found out how long it could have lasted. Sorry I can't be of more help :-) If you try it, report back, I'd love to know! And thankyou for your encouragement!